lynn lu

performance with Maiko
"12th NIPAF 2005"; Neon Hall; Nagano, Japan. 2005

Maiko and I sit facing each other, with a Singing bowl between us. We each place two fingers of the right hand on the other’s neck, with our eyes closed to focus on feeling the other person’s heart beating.

With the left hand, mallets are tapped on the lip of the Singing bowl, keeping time with the pulse felt by the right hand. Each person’s heartbeat – as physically perceived by the other – is amplified by the resonant beats on the brass bowl.

The beats, initially erratic and rapid, are entirely out of sync with the other. Over time, the beats slow down and fall gradually into sync with each other. Two organs fall into a single rhythm.

photo by: Zhou Bin